Archive By Section - Local News

The gray and somber skies and accompanying drizzle didn't deter community members determined to pay tribute to the nation's veterans at a special ceremony held at William A. Fish Veterans Park on Pontiac Street in Oakdale on Friday, Nov. 11. They came armed with portable tents and umbrellas along with their patriotic spirit in spite of the dreary weather.

Measure O, a ballot initiative to increase sales tax by .5 percent within Oakdale City limits, has passed in the preliminary election results. Just over 56 percent of voters approved the sales tax increase, which will add one half cent to every $1 purchase made in Oakdale. This tax will go into effect on April 1, 2012 and will end March 31, 2015. Revenue from the tax will go directly to Oakdale's general fund.

Oakdale is hosting a unique pack of athletes this week for the National Retriever Championship. Eight-nine of the country's top retrieving dogs and around 300 owners, handlers and event coordinators are in Oakdale for the national championship event, which is held on the West Coast every four years.

Measure O, a half-cent sales tax increase, was passed by Oakdale voters on Tuesday. 56% of the voting public approved the measure, which will raise sales tax on items purchased in Oakdale by one half of one percent. The tax will be collected starting April 1, 2012 and expires March 31, 2015. The Oakdale City Council, City Manager and financial advisors met on Wednesday to set goals for the year and discuss the impact that the sales tax will have on the City of Oakdale's budget and spending. For the full story see the Nov. 16 issue of the ...

The salmon are spawning and people lined up along the Knights Ferry bridge to watch the activity in the Stanislaus River below while tent booths lined the shores of the riverbank and the parking area for the 2011 Salmon Festival on Saturday, Nov. 5.

The collective love for animals has enabled the Shelter Pet Alliance to make amazing things happen for the abused, forgotten and discarded animals brought into the Oakdale Animal Shelter on Liberini Road.

It started with a church youth group looking for a good community service project and turned into a solid and determined movement to take a stand against the graffiti that is quickly marring the beauty of Oakdale's parks.

Upgrades and repairs to the Oakdale Wastewater Treatment Plant are almost complete, but Oakdale City Council members would like some assurance that the engineering and construction meets industry standards. Final costs for the entire upgrade are estimated between $12 million and $13 million. The peer review process will cost an additional $30,000 to the sewer enterprise funds.

This Sunday, Californians will be rolling back their clocks as daylight saving comes to an end on Nov. 6. CAL FIRE and fire departments across the state are reminding residents to replace the batteries in all smoke alarms as well as their carbon monoxide (CO) alarm when they change their clocks.

In somewhat of a surprise move, the Oak Valley Hospital District Board of Directors announced this week that CEO John Friel will be placed on administrative leave until the end of his contract in February 2012. Current Chief Financial Officer John McCormick will take over as interim CEO.

When the sun rises over the chilly peaks of the Sierra Nevada on Saturday, a tribal elder from the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians will bless the giant Sierra white fir that will eventually be erected in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. as the nation's Christmas tree.

A 53-foot trailer with 20 lab stations, microscopes, and all the necessary tools for seventh graders in Fred Yerzy's and Linda Metcalf's science classes to do a DNA extraction showed up recently on the Oakdale Junior High School campus.

U.S. Representative Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) introduced a bill on Wednesday, Jan. 14 to lessen the burden on disabled veterans by extending military commissary and exchange store privileges to former service members and their families.

The Bacigalupi family is well known throughout the Oakdale area. Not only for the infamous H-B Saloon on F Street, but also for their philanthropy including sponsoring the Cowboy Golf Tournament, the annual AFC-NFC Championship Tailgate Party to benefit local causes, donations to Spirit of Oakdale, Community Sharing, the Lions Club Children's Christmas Shopping Tour and several contributions to Oakdale High School sports.

Life is not being wasted on Bill and Joanne Parker. At the ages of 85 (Bill) and 84 (Joanne), this couple did not wait for New Year's Day to make a resolution or begin a new health plan. On Jan. 2, 2015 the couple could be found in the same place they were on Dec. 31, 2014 … putting in some time at Fitness Plus in Oakdale.

Like many families do, the 'family' of kids, parents and teachers at The Learning Tree Preschool in Oakdale recently completed their holiday 'Gingerbread House' craft making activity, with the children able to take home their sweet treats to display (or eat) over the holidays. Following are some photos from the special craft day.

Law enforcement fatalities in the U.S. rose 24 percent in 2014, reversing what had been two years of dramatic declines in line of duty deaths, based on preliminary data compiled and released by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF).